Monday, February 4, 2013

The Night the Mountain Fell

L. Woodrow Ross in Charleston, SC

Major geological events often have a drastic effect on
mankind. Floods, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, forest fires and earthquakes
often disrupt patterns of human activity. In addition, they often threaten
human life and when a major event takes place, it captures national attention
in the news media.

Such an event occurred on a Monday, August 17, 1959, at 11:37 p.m. Not far outside the boundaries at the west
entrance to YellowstoneNational
Park in the GallatinNational Forest, a massive
earthquake occurred. It was one of the largest ever recorded in North
America and was recorded at 7.5 on the Richter Scale. The
earthquake caused a landslide and millions of tons of rock, soil and debris
crashed from a mountainside on the south side of the Madison River.
The slide covered the river and inertia carried it several hundred feet up the
mountain on the north side of the river.

The result of the slide was that 28 people died on that
fateful night. Nineteen bodies were never recovered due to being buried under
the million tons of debris. The slide blocked the river and in three weeks EarthquakeLake was created. It is 190 feet
deep and 6 miles long. Today it is an attraction for anglers fishing for trout.
A visitors center was created there as a memorial to the event that took those
28 lives.

This novel is a work of fiction centered around that event
and how it affected those that were leftbehind. It tells the story of a young couple from Charleston,
SC, who were in the campground when the
slide occurred. The prelude to the tragedy tells of their marriage and early
successes. The actual night of the event records the terror and how they were
ripped apart.

Over the next 2 1/2 years, the story records the convoluted
series of events as they struggled with the aftermath and how it affected their
lives. In the end, they never gave up and their love for each other overcame
circumstances.

Join Daniel and Jessie (Jay) Gray in their journey as they
pit their will against tragic circumstances. You will see that character and
integrity will prevail as old friendships are tested and new ones are made. It
is a journey with twists and unexpected turns that will keep you involved in
the plot up until the last page.